438 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 10, 1894. 
THE ONION GRUB. 
I SHOULD like to have headed this letter, '■ A remedy 
for the Onion grub,” but feeling certain that there is 
not a remedy in existence it would be useless and 
misleading to imitate those writers who annually 
dangle before us something like a dozen specifics for 
the destruction of this pest. Lime, soot, salt, wood- 
ashes, gas-lime, paraffin, trenching, and frequent 
turning of the soil, have all been recommended by 
one writer, which proved conclusively the uncertain 
state of his own mind, and the fact that he could 
not have had much experience in that direction, for 
if one of them could be said to be an insecticide, 
why introduce the others. 
One would imagine that the substances named 
after being deposited on the soil entered into some 
chemical combination which proved to be a powerful 
insecticide. Before recommending any of them, let 
the writer test them by applying them to sections of 
his own Onion beds, leaving the others undressed. 
I have thought before now that I had kept the pest 
in check by sowing soot over the beds weekly and 
sprinkling with soap-suds, but where a comparative 
trial was made there was no difference, so my opera¬ 
tions must have been conducted in a season when 
the pest has not been numerous. The ground 
selected for the Onion as a rule is that which has 
been occupied with Celery, but whatever crop the 
ground has had on it, there is not the slightest 
reason to conclude that the pupae of the Onion fly 
is present in the soil, and if it were the substances 
named are perfectly innocuous to it. 
Paraffin is one of the most searching of insecticides, 
but it has no effect undiluted, even on the soft grubs, 
much less the encased pupae. Again, instinct 
directs the fly to select a suitable feeding ground 
for its future progeny, and that is the Onion bed, 
and to find it feeding on any other vegetable, I would 
as soon expect to seethe caterpillars that affect the 
Brassica tribe devouring our Onions. I am led 
to believe that the germ of the future maggot is 
deposited in that part of the Onion which is above 
ground either in its folds or punctures, and not in 
the ground at the base of the plant, and if I am 
right, any substance obnoxious to the insect placed 
in or on the soil would not come in contact with it. 
The vagaries of insects are numerous, but it has 
yet to be proved that the grub has ever quitted the 
Onion bed to roam amongst other crops. No, it 
will not visit a bed of Leeks adjoining the Onions ; 
or that the pupae has means of locomotion, however 
desirous it may be to enter the Cabbage bed, as one 
writer recently suggested that it might. Why there¬ 
fore such elaborate dressing and trenching of the 
ground with the view of getting rid of the grub ? If 
the parent of the future fly is present anywhere it 
will be in last season's Onion beds, and it is this 
ground that ought to be trenched. But how do 
we treat this ? In nine cases out of ten w'e clear the 
weeds, may be or may not prick up the surface 
slightly with the forks, and calendar writers are 
good enough to annually remind us to do this, and 
then plant it with Cabbage. Could any arrange¬ 
ment be more perfect than this to insure a constant 
supply of the Onion grub ? In course of time the 
insect is hatched, quits its old hybernating ground, 
and wings its way in search of the Onion bed to 
renew its depredations. 
From circumstances that have come under my 
notice, I feel certain that trenching the ground on 
which Onions have, been grown is one of the surest 
methods of getting rid of the maggot, or at any rate 
of reducing its number, and I intend to pay more 
attention to this matter than I have hitherto done. 
Another good preventative is to sprinkle the beds 
dver once or twice a week with strong smelling but 
diluted liquid manure. A grower for market 
informed me that since he practised this, his Onions 
have escaped the fly entirely, and if as it is assumed 
the fly abhors obnoxious smells, I can readily believe 
him, for the kind that he uses can be smelt a quarter 
of a mile off, v/hether being conveyed or after being 
distributed on the ground. This is the night soil of 
a neighbouring town which is brought in barges, and 
from these conveyed in properly constructed carts, 
similar to those used in watering streets, which are 
lent by the Corporation to the farmers and market 
gardeners who use it extensively, a heavy load 
costing a shilling. The grower referred to places a 
l^ad where he can throw water over it to drain into 
a receptacle where the cans can be dipped. Whilst the 
application of paraffin, gas-lime, and salt are risky, 
the manure water diluted is safe and nourishing, 
and hastens the plants on. From experiments with 
manure water less offensive I am convinced that it is 
a deterrent. 
Autumn sown Onions are never attacked in this 
garden by the Onion fly, and I should be glad to 
know if any of your readers have ever seen them 
attacked elsewhere ? This circumstance led me to 
raise as many Onions as I could in heat, and like the 
autumn sown ones they have escaped. When 
the spring has been cold and late, the spring 
sown being protected by a frame until suitable 
time for planting, have overtaken the autumn 
sown ones. I sow the Onions in drills on beds, 
leaving one or more drills in each bed, for the 
same sorts raised under glass to be planted later on, 
which I think is a fair test. These Onions are also 
larger, rarely thick necked, and they ripen earlier in 
consequence of the longer season of growth. One 
fourth of the outside ones in a wet season turn out 
thick necked and persist in growing in spite of the 
twisting and bending of the neck. These we tie in 
bunches and suspend them on nails against a north 
wall. I dare say any other aspect would answer as 
well, but this is most convenient for us and answers 
the purpose, the Onions keeping very well until 
Christmas ; but of course every opportunity is taken 
to get rid of them before starting on the others. 
Though I do not suffer from the grub as much as 
my neighbours, it is very prevalent in this part over 
a considerable area, for in giving a few lectures on 
gardening last year, in centres widely separated, I 
was invariably questioned as to remedies for the 
Onion fly, and the Gooseberry caterpillar, although 
I had not alluded to the subjects attacked; but 
instead of giving a direct answer, I have told my 
listeners what were usually recommended—soot, lime, 
salt,&c.—and when near the coast the mention of the 
latter created a smile at my apparent ignorance, 
seeing that they sometimes got too much of that 
substance. I found that the supposed remedies had 
been tried, and as I expected failed; I therefore recom¬ 
mended them to act on the above hints, and also to 
be always on the look out for any aftected plants, 
lift them up bodily, place them in a box to convey 
them to the fire as the only means of putting an end 
to them. When wicker baskets are used for this 
purpose I have seen the grub in consequence of 
having been dislodged find its way out at the 
bottom, but not one should be allowed to escape.— 
W.P.R., Preston. 
-- 
WINDOW AND ROOM 
PLANTS. 
Winter always plays havoc with a good many win¬ 
dow and room plants, sometimes it may be for lack 
of attention, and in other cases, perhaps, from the 
fact that the plants themselves were not suitable for 
the work. There is also something to be said about 
the bad treatment which window and room plants 
often receive through their owners' want of knowing 
better. It should be a golden rule never to leave 
plants near to a window in severe weather, which is 
the cause of many a loss. Another thing, when a 
plant wants re-potting or top dressing don’t go into 
the garden and get any soil that you can lay your 
hands upon. 
Let the plant have something good for the roots to 
feed upon, so either procure some good compost 
from a nurseryman, or send it to him to be attended 
to. The latter is always the best plan, as he generally 
has many little mixtures at hand that you could pro¬ 
bably not use safely if you had them. And last, but 
not least, cleanliness is an important factor in.pro- 
moting the well-doing of all plants. Palms and all 
such things as can be sponged should be so treated as 
often as possible, especially during the summer, and 
a little soft soap added to the water will be a great 
help. It is the frequency with which a plant is 
washed that keeps down scale, red spider, thrips, 
mealy bug, and other insect abominations. 
When plants have been washed, don’t leave them 
outside in cold, windy weather a moment longer than 
you can help, or do not be surprised if they resent 
it by the edges of the leaves turning brown. I saw, 
during the recent windy weather, some Palms and 
India-rubber plants looking very unhappy on an ex¬ 
posed window-ledge, and the thermometer being 
nearly down to freezing point ; how could such ten¬ 
der things be expected to survive such treatment ?— 
J. G. Pettinger, Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrougate. 
CHINESE PRIMULAS AT 
SWANLEY. 
Since this was written, Mr. Cannell has exhibited 
at the Westminster Drill Hall a very fine collec¬ 
tion of Primulas, but even if he did put up a 
couple of hundreds of plants he still left at home 
many hundred-, so that were all shown at James 
Street at once, the entire area of the large hall would 
be needed for the purpose. Thus it is that no display 
in London can at all equal what may be seen in the 
numerous long span houses at Swanley, and at 
Eynsford, where Mr. Robert Cannell has tried hard 
to beat • the parent nursery with Primulas for 
truly his plants are in splendid condition. With the 
exception of one or two varieties, that have slightly 
crested leafage, we see very little indeed of that 
curling leafage like the moss-curled sorts. Mr. 
Cannell has a taste for the flattish or plainer leaf 
form, and his aim has been so to render the foliage 
shorter stalked and compact, that each plant when 
in full bloom shall be a real live bouquet, a cluster 
of beautiful flowers of one colour, set in a foFage 
base which may he pale green or reddish brown, 
and have the flattish old palmate leaf, or be of the 
equally liked Fern-leaf form so-called, although the 
term implies a long narrow leaf, rather than one 
that resembles any Fern. 
The improvement effected during the past few 
years in shortening the leaf stalks of this form is 
most marked, and the foliage is now as good and 
pleasing as can well be desired. With respect to 
substance, size, and form of flower, the advance 
made has been wonderful. The intense reds derived 
from the old Chiswick Red strain still give the 
smallest flowers, but these have now great substance, 
and are produced in remarjjable abundance. They 
too have been so brilliantly rich that it will be 
difficult to excel them. One of the best of this 
section is well named Intensity. Much finer and 
having more of scarlet in the flow’ers is Glowworm, 
a most effective hue, and first-rate in habit. Then 
comes, somewhat deeper in shade and very large in 
bloom, Distinction, giving in these named as beau¬ 
tiful a section of the intense reds as can well be con¬ 
ceived. By-and-bye the smaller flowered sorts will 
be quite displaced by the newer, almost giant reds ; 
indeed, there seems to be no hue or variation of hue 
into which huge blooms have not been thrown. 
Very graceful and effective of itself for its light, 
free-blooming, pyramidal habit is the Lady, and full 
of interest is it also when compared with the new 
huge-flowered forms that are presented in all 
directions in vast quantities. The flowers of the 
Lady are comparatively small, quite of the original 
smooth edged and inconspicuous order of the 
species, and in comparison to the giant blooms of 
in. over are almost pigmies. The interest lies in 
the evidence of the remarkable advance made in the 
Chinese Primrose since our florists took it in hand, 
and there is a surprising degree of beauty in the 
plants of the Lady of which there are scores, for they 
form a striking group with their very deep red 
leafage and stems, whilst the flowers borne in great 
abundance are carried up in whorl above whorl to 
the height of from 15 to 16 in., and in this way con¬ 
stitute singularly pleasing plants for winter decora¬ 
tion. If this variety can eventually be made to 
produce flowers of improved form and in variet}' of 
colour without destroying its graceful habit, we shall 
have a most valuable race of Primulas added to our 
present wealth. 
The Swanley collection is very rich in whites, pure 
and very large. Of such varieties as White Perfec¬ 
tion, on red Fern leaf, Her Majesty, on pale green 
Fern leaf, Canterbury, a wonderfully fine flower of 
the purest white, Cannell’s Triumph, having specially 
sturdy habit and red leafage, a giant flower, Eyns¬ 
ford White, and Cannell's White, the former and 
two latter sorts especially, there is legion, and most 
beautiful are the effects. Every plant out of 
hundreds of one variety are as true to character as 
well can be, such is now the stedfast nature of the 
Chinese Primrose. The pink shades vie with the 
whites in beauty. Cannell's Pink and Pink Queen are 
of the very finest of this delicate tint yet seen. The 
former has pale green leafage, and carries huge 
blooms; the latter has flowers of a rosy salmon tint, 
and has stout Fern foliage. 
A singularly refined hue is found in Duchess of 
Fife, the colour of the flowers which too are very 
large being of a soft delicate mauve, not at all washy 
